‘Horrible’, ‘no sign of life’, and ‘very hard to experience’ – Mamadou Sarr on his time at Chelsea

‘Horrible’, ‘no sign of life’, and ‘very hard to experience’ – Mamadou Sarr on his time at Chelsea Ahead of facing one of his former clubs, Olympique Lyonnais, Mamadou Sarr (21), currently on loan at Real Sociedad from Chelsea, spoke to L’Équipe about his difficult stint at Stamford Bridge. Sarr joined RC Strasbourg Alsace from formative club Lyon in the summer of 2024. The following summer, he was signed by partner club Chelsea but loaned immediately back to the Meinau. However, he got his chance to impress at Stamford Bridge following a midseason managerial change. Liam Rosenior made the move to West London and a few weeks later, Sarr did, too. The defender saw his loan with Le Racing cut short and following the Africa Cup of Nations, he got the chance to impress for his parent club. Ultimately, however, it would prove to be a difficult spell for Sarr, whose high-profile error against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League, coupled with Rosenior’s swift exit, saw him on the fringes of the set-up. Sarr says Real Sociedad is the ‘perfect club’ for him “It was really very difficult – a rollercoaster,” began the Senegal international. “I was coming back from the AFCON and I was on a cloud. I started to play, have some good matches, [but] the one against PSG and that error came quickly. [Then] no news. No sign of life. The first week was horrible regarding the criticism. And Rosenior, who brought me, was quickly ejected. No longer doing your job, staying on the bench and watching your teammates play was very hard to experience, especially without any explanation. And then, at the World Cup, I thought that I’d be playing, but, without rhythm, I didn’t.” Sarr added that thanks to his mental coach, he “stopped the slide” and is now finding joy while on loan at Real Sociedad in La Liga. “I am living again. I had to be patient and find the best way out [of Chelsea]. I was hungry, very hungry. I wanted just one thing: to play football […] I have rediscovered a bit of the Lyonnais atmosphere. A very good club on a sporting level and a family club, too, that trusts in young players. Real Sociedad is the perfect club for me. Sarr has the objective of “becoming the best defender in the world” and winning “all of the biggest titles: the World Cup, the Champions League…” This season, he will look to win the Europa League with Real Sociedad. Time will tell if he has any future at Chelsea. GFFN | Luke Entwistle